The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1887-09-14


baby in another room so that Sister
Stocking could have a peaceful meal.
When bedtime came the visitors were
given Annie's room, because it was the
most comfortable chamber, and our
bed was moved into it for the children.
She slept with mother, father had the
sitting-room lounge and Fred and |
camped on the floor before the fire.
Brother Stocking viewed all these ar
rangements complacently, but his wife
seemed much troubled by them. She
was not used to tramping.
The storm cleared away in the night,
and in the morning the sun shone on
the new fallen snow with dazzling
brightness. The noise which father
made lighting the kitchen fire awoke
me, and the first thing that came into
my mind was the verse which l had
learned the afternoon before, and lay
for some minutes silently repeating it in
dreamy sort of way:
Withdraw thy foot from thy neigh
boris house; lest he be weary of thee,
and so hate thee"
Then Fred woke up and asked him
if he remembered his verse, and after
rubbing his eyes awhile it came out:
/" AS q bird that VANDERBILT from her
nest, so is man that VANDERBILT from
his place."
Just as the rehearsal was over father
called us to get up, and we went about
our morning duties in the innocence of
childhood, never once dreaming that
we were about to spring trap on the
Stocking family.
The suspicious moment came at last,
and we said those verses with an air of
triumph that seemed to ask, " Don't
all you good people think they are
pretty nice?" The room was so still
for minute that you could have heard
pin drop, and | noticed a bright red
spot on each of Mrs. Stockings cheeks.
Then mother said to her, " Doyou take
sugar and milk in your coffee?" After
that we children were too busy eat
ing to see what happened. Breakfast
and prayers being over, all the tramps
went upstairs, and settled myself into
mothers rocking-chair in the sitting
room to get my Sunday-school lesson.
Soon the kitchen door opened and
father and mother came in with cloud
on their brows that denoted trouble
ahead form My son." said father
he never began that way when every
thing was all right-where did you get
the verses which you and Fred repeated
this morning."
" Proverbs XIV: II and xvii: s."
was my answer.
" Did you learn them to show Mr.
Stocking that we didn't want his family
to stay here?" he asked again.
You see that he had not forgotten
about that serpent and adder business.
But when l told him when we learned
the verses, and that we did it because
the word " Home " was printed over
them, he was convinced that we meant
no harm, but as they were going back
into the kitchen l heard mother say,
"What could have put the boys up to
such thing?"
The tramps took the hint, although
none was intended. had hardly taken
fresh start on my lesson before /
heard the front door slam and saw
Brother Stocking hurry out of the yard.
Half an hour later, some time after the
d" first bell " had rung for morning
service, he drove up in &C cutter,n as
the high-backed old-fashioned sleighs
were called, the bells that were strung
on the horses being as large as door
knobs and almost as noisy as chime
of cow-bells. We recognized the es-
Enlistment as belonging to one of the
neighbors, but could hardly believe the
evidence of our senses that Brother
Stocking was going to drive his family
right through the village street and
away from church on the Sabbath. In
those days no one in the country was
supposed to do any Sunday travelling
except to church and in attending flu
nerals. We rushed into the hall to find
that Mrs. Stocking and the children hat
come down stairs all bundled up for the
ride, with their baggage in their hands.
Before we could say word the whole
family were all in the sleigh, Brother
Stocking being mounted on the high
front seat, holding the reins in one
hand and having the other arm around
one of the children. All he said before
starting off was, e" Brother Bosworth
we now withdraw our feet from your
house, lest you be weary of us and Sc
hate u.s."
1t was the first and last time / eve
knew religious tramp to take hint
dhu hC hONCl WOulu nave plChcu IL W
but for his wife's help.
An earthquake in the door-yard could
not have caused more CONSERVATION in
our family than did this departure OF
the Stockings. We all stood on the
steps watching the sleigh disappear
down the street till the bell began tC
toll for church, and then we hurried int
the house to finish dressing. | nevel
saw father so beside himself in all my
life. He forgot to put on his Sunday
vest, wearing an old one into the pulpit
and he even omitted the "long prayer
before the sermon, dismissing the
astonished congregation fifteen minutes
before it was time for the Sunday-schoo
to begin. BY afternoon, however, h,
had recovered his usual composure 81
as to go through the services decent,
and in order. We noticed that tn,
Jordan pew was empty all day, ant
concluded that the tramps had met tn,
family on their way to church and per
suaded them to turn about and &C
home. Our surmise was confirmed
about four O'Clock that afternoon, wher
two of the Jordan boys, who had come
to the village to take back the team
Brother Stocking had hired, called tC
say that Mr.. Bosworth needn't trouble
himself to come to Melissa's wedding
! We heard afterwards that thn caremon,